“Pioneer in Insulin Use
Late Francis Somers was Diabetic 50 Years.

The family of the late Francis M. Somers, who died Wednesday at 63, recalled Saturday that he was one of the first patients to receive insulin for diabetes, and worked in early experiments on the drug.

Mr. Somers became seriously ill as a young man in the 1920’s and his condition, becoming worse at an alarming rate, was diagnosed as diabetes.

After about 30 days in Lakeview Hospital, Danville, he was taken by his mother to a hospital in Indianapolis. There Eli Lilly Co., becoming interested in an almost unheard of drug known as insulin, took charge of his case.

After a few shots, his response was described as remarkable. Before long he was able to begin a study of diet control. He soon became well enough to leave the hospital and went to work at the Lilly Co. on standardization of insulin.

One of his first duties was to give white leghorn roosters various amounts of insulin in the continuing experiment.

He stayed with the drug firm until 1928 when his work was completed. Returning to Urbana, he completed his studies at the University of Illinois where he received his degree in mechanical engineering in 1931.

Members of the family noted that he shunned any job that would require steady hours, including a position on the Wayne University faculty in Detroit.

He explained that such a job would interfere with diabetes control and also that he had other things to do. Mr. Somers was working on the safe control of hydraulic fluid in landing gear of airplanes and had obtained some patents on various control valves. One of his devices, made in his basement workshop, made a warning bell ring when an elevator bin was full of grain.

When his death came Wednesday in his home at 601 W. California St., Mr. Somers’ diabetic condition had been controlled for well over 50 years.”